Lets be accurate with terminology, because if Masters don't do this - we lose our history and heritage and leave young generation with nothing in the past. This opening doesn't have a name Switcher. If I am wrong, please, correct me. Only GAYP opening 11-15 21-17 9-13 can be named as Switcher.

Alex, your comments are welcomed.

Thanks, Michael !

I am sure you can give us some great insight

Yea-a-a Only insights, because in this opening with extremely limited scope there is nothing much I can add to play.

Here are my "insight comments" to first game.

3. 9-14 22-18

Choice is very narrow. I decided to take this line (22-18) because it's generate a little bit chance for original play, and although chance that Michael maynot be aware of all details.

BTW. In WCM 2003 it was a funny and interesting transposition into this position from another opening. Having white pieces Ron King played: 9-14 22-17 6-9 25-22 ?! (not the strongest reply) 9-13 = the same

8. 4-8 30-25

In WCM 2003, G2 Ron King tried here 31-26 instead 30-25 but got nothing. This game was well covered in Sixth, MK-2, Pg. 16-17

9. 2-6 23-19

I had a hard choice here. Another good option white has here - 24-19 15-24 28-19. Actually 24-19 move is better known to published play and after 23-19 I was on my own. After 24-19 15-24 28-19 red should play 6-9 17-13 11-15 13-6 15-24 27-20 14-18 etc with Draw. It will be also important thing to say, that Ron King won this line with white against Don Lafferty in WCM 1997. Why I didn't take it ? I trully donno but I spent a reasonable time at this moment.

10. 15-18 22x15 11. 11x18

After this trade I spent alot of time, trying to find some real chance and although keeping a safe draw in hands. Only second problem was resolved.

14. 7x14 26-22

Now it's a time for white to play carefully. I remember that I saw many dangers here with other moves.

The game was stopped here and restart after the second game ended.

I perfectly understood that really nothing much left in position, but wanted to keep some psychological uncertainces !

Moiseyev mentioned that he missed a win but no win was missed.

No, I didn't mention this. I mentioned that I missed a win in the second game after 17-13 but it seems like I was wrong with this. In first game I didn't miss anything.

I have always referred to this opening as a switcher line but in checking pp it seems that you are correct Alex. Clayton usually makes light of it too because I know several lines of pp but seldom do I know thier names. Anyway, although I placed 4th in this tournament I had some very good games and more importantly I am getting back into the swing of things after a 8 or 9 month break.

Michael Holmes wrote:I have always referred to this opening as a switcher line but in checking pp it seems that you are correct Alex. Clayton usually makes light of it too because I know several lines of pp but seldom do I know thier names. Anyway, although I placed 4th in this tournament I had some very good games and more importantly I am getting back into the swing of things after a 8 or 9 month break.

Humbly offering this to you gentlemen, for whom I have the utmost respect ... Call's Vocabulary refers to 9-13, 21-17 as the "Edinburgh-Switcher".......

Greetings Michael, The book is "VOCABULARY OF CHECKERS" A dictionary of words, terms and phrases used in the game called checkers, or English draughtsBy Willim T Call 1909The exact verbiage recorded here...Edinburgh-Switcher; The opening formed by the characteristic moves of the Edinburgh opening and the Switcher opening, thus:9-13,21-17.

Looking at my books of the early (2-move era) American Ty's I think that they used the following system:

1. 9-13 was called Edingburgh1. 9-14 was called Double1. 10-14 was called Denny1. 10-15 was called Kelso1.11-15 was called Regular1. 11-16 was called Bristol1. 12-16 was called Dundee

Also they appended to that "first name" a "second name", determined by white's 1st move

1. --- 21-17 was calles "Switcher"1. --- 22-17 was called "Choice"1. --- 22-18 was called "Single"1. --- 23-18 was called "Cross"1. --- 23-18 was called "Book"1. --- 24-19 was called "Second"1. --- 24-20 was called "Lassie"

That made a total of 7x7 = 49 different named altogether, and, thus all two-move ballots had their logical name.

It seems like that system was not used anymore in the 3 move era, but the naming "Edinburgh Switcher" most likely refers to the first two move!1.9-13 = Edinburgh1. --- 21-17 = Switcher

So to call it Edinburgh Switcher would be correct if you want to describe the 2 move ballot, "Switcher" originally, in GAYP only days, was 1.11-15 21-17, 2.9-13, sometimes also by transposition 1.9-13 21-17, 2. 11-15

So, in fact Michael was not wrong , and Alex was not wrong.It is not the "regular" Switcher, but the "Edinburgh" Switcher.

I hope that this answer from an amateur solves the classification problem.

This fine research has only historical value and cannot be use for references, because it was never adopted and accepted by checkers fraturnity ... unless you demonstrate me most recent eveidents and sources.

Regards,

Alex

Last edited by Alex_Moiseyev on Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:44 am, edited 2 times in total.

Is Basic Checkers recent enough ? There this line is called a "6-9 switcher", and other system r named according to that 2-move era classification.

In fact, to me it looks like a reasonable system, and we could still use it to name the ballots, though1.9-13 22-18, 2. 10-14 sounds bad as "10-14 Edinburgh Book", and Inferno sounds much better and describes it much better.

Do you have an alternative name for 1.9-13 21-17, 2.6-9 to "6-9 (Edinburgh) Switcher" ?I think in this case it also gives a description of the line, as the "Switcher structure " is the key to this line, so the name has something.

So why not use it?We could also use a numerical system, but here sources also differ, as BC has no numbers for the Golden Dozen, and Brian Hinkle's numbers, that I would prefer as a better system, also includes all barred openings.

In chess, we even have different names for the same opening in different languages.For instance the Ruy Lopez is called Spanisch in German, or the Sweschnikow in Russian is called Pelikan in Portugese and Lasker in older German sources, or the Trompowsky is called Treybal system in Czech.Also there r different codes, like the ECO code and the NIC system. I even have books that r about "translating" those codes and national names of the chess openings.

Of course one must distinguish between a single opening move, such as 9-13, and an opening formation such as the Glasgow or Souter etc, which takes several moves to set up.This distinction is usefully discussed by Oldbury in his Ency Vol 1, page 92,when he refers to:

â€œâ€¦â€¦.the oft stated principle that no player would consider that a game had been opened (â€¦..) when only one move has been madeâ€

and:

â€œI donâ€™t care what name is given to the peg I hang my hat on; do you? â€